Shing Mun Country Park Biodiversity
by Thomas Gomersall
Perhaps one of the biggest contradictions of Hong Kong is that areas of serene natural beauty can exist side by side with some of the busiest, most densely populated urban centres. Shing Mun Country Park is no exception. To wander along its wooded hillside paths with nothing to pierce the blissful quiet but birdsong and the rush of a gushing mountain stream (or several), one could quite easily forget that the bustling industrial centre of Kwai Chung lay just down the hill.
But despite its noisy neighbour, Shing Mun Country Park is a beautiful place to be, not least because of its enormous reservoir, which is the largest water storage body in the area (Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, 2019). Taking the walking trails along its tranquil shores to the sound of the water lapping the rocks and fallen branches lining them is a guaranteed way to relax the mind, not to mention a great way of spotting one or two of the animals that swim, drink or just hang out in and around the reservoir.
King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah): The king cobra is the longest and one of the most infamous venomous snakes and for good reason: its bites, when they occur, frequently cause fatalities, including a few in Hong Kong. But despite its bad press, this species actually has a gentler temperament than one might think and rarely attacks humans. It is much larger than the co-occuring Chinese cobra — reaching up to six metres in length — and is also much rarer in Hong Kong, being thinly distributed across the New Territories, Lantau and Hong Kong Island. It is a specialist snake eater but will also take birds, lizards and rodents. Hatchlings are born with a distinct black and yellow banding (Chan et al, 2006, p. 113).
Lesser Bamboo Bat (Tylonycteris pachypus): As well as the world’s longest venomous snake, Shing Mun Country Park is also home to one of the world’s tiniest mammals. The lesser bamboo bat is only four centimetres long and weighs only two grams (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020). But being so small has its uses, particularly for roosting inside bamboo stems with up to 24 other bats and their young. A flattened skull allows it to easily squeeze through the tiny cracks (< 10 mm wide) in the bamboo. Being so small, it feeds primarily on flying ants and termites (Shek, 2006, p. 197).
Chestnut Spiny Rat (Niviventer fulvescens): This small, reddish-brown rat is a common species on rural hillsides and is one of the very few native rodents to have survived the deforestation of Hong Kong, possibly due to its relative flexibility in habitat usage (Chung & Corlett, 2006). It spends time both on the ground and in trees and sometimes builds nests in the latter. While far from a specialist seed eater (being known to eat fruit, leaves, flowers and even insects as well), it is nonetheless an important seed disperser for several plants in Hong Kong such as the rose myrtle and blood red melastoma, the seeds of which have been found in its droppings (Shek, 2006, p. 255 — p. 257).
Chinese Skink (Plestiodon chinensis): One of Hong Kong’s largest skinks is also one of its most colourful, sporting a spattering of red spots running down the sides of its light gold body. When not basking in the open in the morning and evening, they tend to spend the hotter parts of the day sheltering under cover. They are particularly fond of habitats near water (Ferguson, 2019), so the edges of the Shing Mun Reservoir are a good place to look for them.
White Dragontail (Lamproptera curius): Of the many butterfly species to visit Shing Mun Country Park, the most striking has to be the white dragontail, thanks to the elongated protrusions at the back of its hind wings. An uncommon swallowtail butterfly and the smallest member of that group, this species is often found along forested streams where its larval host plant (Illigera celebica) grows (Lo & Hui, 2004, p. 180; Lai & Yip, 2019). It can also be found puddling for water and nutrients on the edge of streams (Lo & Hui, 2004, p. 180).
References
· Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Shing Mun Country Park, [website], 2019 https://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_cou/cou_vis_cou_sm/cou_vis_cou_sm.html (Accessed: 8 August 2019).
· Chan, S., Cheung, K.S., Ho, C.Y., Lam, F.N., Tang, W.S. and J.M.L. Tse. 2006. A Field Guide to the Venomous Land Snakes of Hong Kong. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Hong Kong SAR Government. 113pp.
· Chung, K.P.S. and Corlett, R.T. 2006. Rodent diversity in a highly degraded tropical landscape: Hong Kong, South China. Biodiversity and Conservation, vol. 15: 4521–4532.
· Encyclopedia Britannica, Vesper bat, [website], 2020, https://www.britannica.com/animal/vesper-bat (Accessed: 23 July 2020)
· Ferguson, R., ‘The Chinese Skink’, Wild Creatures Hong Kong [web blog], 22 April 2019, https://www.wildcreatureshongkong.org/single-post/2019/04/22/The-Chinese-Skink (Accessed: 8 August 2019).
· Lai, P. and Yip, J., Hong Kong Herbarium, Shing Mun Arboretum: Illigera celebica at the Shing Mun Arboretum, [website], 2019, https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/SpecialTopicsDetails.aspx?oneId=19&SectionId=2 (Accessed 7 August 2019).
· Lo, P.Y.F. and Hui, W.L. 2004. Hong Kong Butterflies, 1st ed., Friends of the Country Parks, Hong Kong. 180pp.
· Shek, C.T. 2006. A field guide to the terrestrial mammals of Hong Kong, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong SAR Government, Hong Kong. 197pp., 255pp.–257pp.
